Expert reviews and ratings

Police chases provide plenty of reckless, high-speed thrills, and seeing friends dominate the billboards in your city fans the flames of friendly competition in an innovative and very effective way. Most Wanted isn't quite a return to the racing paradise of some earlier Criterion games, but it's a mostly exciting ride nonetheless.

One that has been given time and dedication by a developer with excellent technical skills. Better yet, it's a genuinely good game with enough content to last a long while. Any racing game fan is going to feel at home behind the wheel of Most Wanted.

When played alone, Need for Speed: Most Wanted feels too large and too empty, a game devoid of compelling content and one that doesn't provide enough reasons to play. When played online, however, it is instantly transformed into a far more vibrant, manic and exciting place to be.

It’s just unfortunate that a decent amount of fun gets lost in its design. Though the magic doesn’t feel as alive in this latest incarnation than it has in the past, there’s an enjoyable and slick game in Criterion’s Most Wanted.

Need for Speed Most Wanted is a highly refined open world street racing experience that offers a little bit for everyone. Collectors will have fun trying to steal every car in the game, while more explorative types will enjoy scouting the lesser-travelled areas to find speed cameras and smashable billboards.

At times Most Wanted elicits the hungriest of addictions, feeding on the player's desire to beat more and more friends. While a few gamers might find the ride too fast or too arcade-y, racing fans of all shapes and sizes will find hours and hours of fantastic rivalries.

There's even a "suggested friends" tab in the options screen for friends of your friends who also have the game. The social experience can be both asynchronous or real time, and skipping out those yields a lower appreciation of the end product.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (NFSMW) lets you race souped-up cars the way they were supposed to be raced: illegally. Taking its cues from dodgy action flick The Fast and the Furious, NFSMW is a surprisingly fun driving game. Your job is to get to...

If you like cars, you’ll love the latest episode of Need For Speed – Most Wanted. As the name suggests, your task is to take to the streets, gain a reputation, and become the most wanted driver. Faster cars become available as you win more...

Need for Speed is more of an arcade game than a racing simulator. The only realistic part of the driving experience between cars is front, rear, and all wheel drive. Road holding is notably different depending on which the car has. Also, swerving and...